J P Nadda, the Union Health Minister, recently provided an update to the Lok Sabha regarding India's healthcare workforce, revealing that the current doctor-population ratio stands at 1:811. This figure surpasses the World Health Organization's standard of one doctor per 1,000 people, reflecting positive progress in the healthcare sector.

As of November 2024, there are 1,386,145 registered allopathic doctors in the country according to data from the National Medical Commission (NMC). Nadda indicated that if we consider an 80 percent availability of these doctors alongside approximately 614,000 AYUSH practitioners, the overall doctor-population ratio remains commendably low.

The minister highlighted significant growth in the number of medical colleges, stating that they have doubled from 387 before 2014 to 780 currently. Correspondingly, there has been an increase in MBBS seats, which rose by 130 percent from 51,348 to 118,137, while postgraduate seats surged by 135 percent from 31,185 to 73,157.

To further bolster the number of medical professionals, the government has implemented various initiatives, including the Centrally Sponsored Scheme aimed at establishing new medical colleges by upgrading district and referral hospitals. So far, 131 out of 157 approved medical colleges have commenced operations, including 23 located in Rajasthan.

The Union Health Minister also detailed approved projects under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana, with 75 upgrades to government medical colleges, of which 69 projects have been completed. Additionally, the establishment of 22 new AIIMS has been sanctioned, with undergraduate courses initiated in 19 of these institutions.

To address the shortage of medical faculty, the DNB qualification has been acknowledged for potential appointments, alongside a raised age limit for faculty roles allowing individuals up to 70 years of age to be appointed, extended, or re-employed in various educational positions within medical institutions.